DEA St. Louis Division launches website for community resources
WithYouSTL.com offers drug treatment, recovery, education and prevention
ST. LOUIS – Unintended consequences of social distancing and isolation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic can include increased substance use, experimentation and even relapse for those in treatment and recovery. To help people find support facilities, the Drug Enforcement Administration St. Louis Division, along with community partners, has launched a website that pulls together resources for St. Louis Metro residents.
WithYouSTL.com is a community-based resource website that provides information on everything from substance use prevention, treatment providers, and free naloxone distribution locations, as well as where to find food pantries and other help. The website also has information about the signs and symptoms of substance use disorder, tools to help parents talk to their kids about the dangers of substance misuse, and ways to safely secure medications during this pandemic.
The initiative was born during a DEA-hosted call with prevention and treatment providers in April. “We heard all these groups talk about how they were transforming for the times, but it was Ellis and Patti Fitzwalter who reminded us that, pandemic or not, when people are living through the nightmare of a loved one suffering from substance use disorder, they don’t know where to turn,” said Special Agent in Charge William Callahan. “It was in that moment we decided to bring all these great community resources under one banner. The DEA St. Louis Division is one of few agencies in the region that crosses state and county lines, rivers and highways. We had the means to help our community, and that’s exactly what we did by creating WithYouSTL.com.”
One of the community partners featured on the site, Ellis and Patti Fitzwalter are founders of H.E.A.L.: Stop Heroin, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness of the danger of opioids.
Resources cover the bi-state area, including St. Clair and Madison counties, St. Louis and St. Louis County, and St. Charles, Franklin and Jefferson counties, as well as state and national resources. It is accessible on a computer or mobile device.
